Bottle carrying case



Jan. 20,1953

Filed Aug. 15, 1946 c. L. KELLER I 2,626,079

BOTTLE CARRYING CASE INVENTOR.

BY Mx%%\ 0/4 ES L {in ELLE? ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 20, 1953 c. KELLER 2,625,079

BOTTLE CARRYING CASE Filed Aug. 15, 1946 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 1 i A. .FIG-Z 1.51

IN V EN TOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 20, 1953 BOTTLE CARRYING CASE Charles L. Keller, Winnetka, Ill., assignor to The Richardson Company, Lockland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 15, 1946, Serial No. 690,736

4 Claims.

In connection with a new type of bottle carryme case formed by molding a plastic material with integral partition or spacing members for bottles, it is desirable to use the minimum of material both for the walls proper of the container and for the partition or bottle spacing members within it. One design which has met favor for the partitions is a wavy outline supplemented by semi-oval projections, such as is chiefly illustrated in the appended drawings. Other designs in which there are no complete lengthwise and crosswise partitions sustaining the walls of the case by such a network have been employed or suggested, as per diagrams appended to the drawings.

The reason against forming a unitary molded bottle carrying case with conventional cross partitions is not only to cut down on the use of material but to simplify the molding operation, flow of material in the molding process, and incidentally to eliminate too many closed pockets thus simplifying cleansing of the case. Since bottles are the objects to be held in spaced relation in such a case, it is not necessary to provide more than an effective spacer to keep the bottles from contact with each other.

There are two ways in which the present "wooden bottle carrying cases are handled. One

way is to lift the case by means of finger holes in the two ends of the case. These holes cannot be mere round holes but must be large enough for say fourflngers to be inserted since when thecase is filled there is considerable weightinvolved, the normal practice requiring twenty-four bottles to the case. The other way of lifting the loading and unloading cases from delivery trucks,

and in the bottling factory.

In bottle carrying cases of the'type described which are not braced in both directions by'a series of cross partitions, it can now be noted that there is a decided point of weakness to-wit, at the zone at the middle of each end wall where there must be a substantial finger hole, and where a powerful leverage is likely to be exerted when the cases are lifted by means of gripping two bottles and tilting them together so as to clamp a spacing partition, and be braced against the end wall. Incidentally there will often be a spacing partition exactly at the center line of the end walls, as shown in the one type of non-cross braced partition case illustrated, which partition has to be indented to provide finger clearance when the case is lifted by means of four fingers inserted in the two end finger holes. This additionally weakens the strength of the case end wall, which might otherwise be expected from the presence of the partition at this point.

It is the object of my invention to strength the end wall by giving it a certain structural conformation which enables the insertion of a high strength plate into the female mold member used in molding, and to mold it in place, and to do this without giving the case an unsightly appearance. The attaining of this object must be consistent with requirements of strength, appearance, and above all to practical utility in connection with molding practice.

As already noted, I have illustrated in the drawings one type of non-cross braced unitary molded bottle carrying case, the particular partition arrangement of which can bevaried even to the extent of having no continuous partitions whatever, and have shown the application of my invention thereto, the novelty inherent in which illustration will be set forth in the appended claims'to which reference is hereby made.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a non-cross braced bottle carrying case.

Figure 2 is a side elevation thereof, broken away on the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, showing the application of a mold.

Figure 4 is a detail perspective of an end wall of such a case.

Figures 58 are diagrams showing some further designs of cases of the type involved.

The particular case illustrated has a base I which may be punched through with holes for lightness in Weight (not shown) and has side walls 2, 2 and end walls 3, 3. The non-crossbraced partition structure consists in the particular case illustrated in two sinuous partitions 4, 5, extending lengthwise of the case and six half oval partitions 6, 1, 8, 9, I0 and II, which are united with the side and end walls. The sinuous partitions in this instance are united with an end wall at one end and a side wall at the other. All partitions are united with the base and the whole case isunitary, being molded in a single operation as a one piece structure. g I 'Forcomposition for such cases there ls'no ,is inserted in this pocket.

3 particular requirement insofar as my present invention is concerned. A fiber reenforced reclaimed rubber requiring only a short vulcanization in the mold has been used with good results. A mixture of rubber and bitumen, use of asbestos fiber or stronger fibers such as cut reclaimed tire cord, etc. may be employed. The composition must however, be relatively light in weight and should not be too brittle.

The eye naturally expects a case of this type to be uniform as to its walls, but to make the walls of the case thick enough to satisfy strength requirements, adds too much weight. Also very strong materials are too expensive to use.

In each end wall is a finger hole l2, of a width to take the four fingers of a person lifting the case, and in the present instance, in order to free the fingers for ready and quick grasp of 'the case, the partitions B and 9 have their walls which intersect the finger hole formed with a cavity Ba and 9a therein.

In the present invention the fact that the hand hole interrupts the two end walls is adopted as an excuse for producing a ledge (2a in Figure 4) on the outside of the walls of the case from the top of the hole to the top of the case. This ledge is tapered toward the two ends of each end wall so as to merge back into the level of the end walls proper. In providing this ledge it will be noted that a pocket is developed in the outer or female mold by means of which the case is formed. Since there will have to be a pocket to develop this ledge, the pocket can be used to mount in the female mold a piece of much stronger material than the composition used to make the light weight case, such as for example a piece of hard rubber material of a color which corresponds to the rest of the case (usually black). If there were no pocket in the female mold there would be no way known to me for getting this piece or strip of hard rubber into the molded product.

Referring to Figure 3, the female mold is indicated generally at l3, and the male mold at 14, having partition forming plungers l5 shaped as the spaces left unpartitioned in the resulting case. In the end walls of the female mold there is a space left as indicated in dotted lines at 16, for passage of hole forming plungers H, which are located in the holes in the female mold so as to be flush with its inner surface while the male mold is being inserted and are then forced in to the full position of forming the two holes in the end walls and incidentally forming the clearance in any partitions which happen .to'intersect the zone of the finger holes. 7

That portion of the female mold located above the holes is formed with a pocket is, which pocket tapers back to flush condition with the inner wall of the mold near the end portion of the end walls of said mold. The lower end of the pocket is at the top of the plunger hole for forming the finger holes. After placing the dough into the female mold and before causing the male mold to be forced into it, a strip of hard rubber material l'9 In Figure 1 by dotted lines indicated at I9 the ends of this insert-are depicted.

If desired the insert may be narrower than the space to the top of the mold as indicated by a dotted line at 20, so that in the operation of molding the case the top of the insert will be covered by the molding compound or dough, thus giving absolute uniformity to the top edge of the case.

The insert of hard rubber composition will not .be .vulcanized or fully vulcanized so that it is.

still formable and can be given a ribbed outer face or other design in conformity with the rest of the case, as desired.

The added strength which this reenforcing strip gives to the end walls of the case is easily sufiicient to permit the case to withstand the more severe strains incident to its use in the manners already noted. As a generic term for cases to which my invention applies, I have termed them one piece molded cases with non-cross braced partition structure. In order to illustrate the class of products to which I refer, the diagrams of Figures 5 through 8 have been incorporated in this application. In the diagrams, 20 indicates the outline of the interior of the case, and 2| illustrates the partition forming devices. The aptness of the term utilized to characterize such cases will be noted without further exposition.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire .to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A one-piece, vulcanized rubber molded case with non-cross braced partition structure, the end walls having elongated finger holes therein for lifting purposes, the end walls of said case having an external ledge developed by increase of the end wall thickness at substantially the level of the top of the finger holes, the added thickness developed by this ledge occupied by a continuous, unitary strengthening insert of material of higher tensile strength than that of the composition of the case and molded thereagains't.

2. The article of claim 1 in which the insert is longer than the hole and extends across the top of said hole.

3. The article of claim 1 in which the insert is longer than the hole and extends across the top of the hole but terminates short of the ends of the walls, said ledge being tapered back to the level of the end walls proper between the ends of the insert and the ends of the said walls.

4. A process of forming a molded one-piece, vulcanized rubber case which comprises providing mold elements for forming side and end walls of the case together with a bottom and a partition structure, forming in the outer one of said mold elements a recess adjacent a space for forming on of said walls and above the position of a handhole through said wall, inserting in said recess a piece of composition bendable with the composition of the case,'i'ntroducing into said mold a mass of molding composition and plastically molding it therein to form said walls, bottom and partitions, and causing said composition to bond with said first mentioned piece of material without producing substantial'plastic flow therein.

CHARLES L. KELLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 62,295 Weitling May 1 1923 D. 147,981 Lehman Nov. 25, 1947 897,472 Marx Sept. 1, 1908 1,054,835 Ford Mar. 4,1913 1,529,044 Willard Mar. 10, 1925 1,697,063 Holland Jan. 1, 1929 1,716,598 Parsons June 11', 1929 2,414,171 Sch'arfi -1 Jan. 14, I947 

